EchoStar Corp., which has been buying near-term debt owed by Sirius, may seek to acquire the struggling satellite radio company. The New York Times reports that Sirius XM has hired advisers to prepare for a possible bankruptcy filing within the next few days. With $5 billion in assets, Sirius XM’s would be the second-largest Chapter 11 filing of 2009. Service is unlikely to be interrupted, but the company may need to terminate pricey contracts with on-air talent like Howard Stern, pictured (who was paid $100 million per year) and Martha Stewart.
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Great. Thanks, Howard.
As long as I get to keep the good programming, I could care less whether over blown and over exposed celebs like Stern Stewart and Winfrey are on it. I want my E-street radio, the sports channels, the comedy stations and Broadway. They could save money by getting rid of the DJs on many channels.
$100 million a year!!! That is INSANE!
Can’t stand Stern, don’t listen to him, don’t watch him. Give me my Margaritaville, Broadway, Deep Tracks, 1940s and 1950s channels!
I was amazed when Howard first announced how much he was getting to work for Sirius XM. Even when the economy was good, it was an outrageously large number. Bankruptcy was inevitable.
I have never listened to any of these talk shows. All I want is great music to accompany me while driving — The Blend, Pulse, Deep Tracks! Good ridance to rubish!
There is no way they could get rid of Howard. He is the reason they have as many customers as they do. Before Howard came to Sirius they had 600,000 customers and now have millions. Get rid of the other crap and just have music channels and Howard 100 and 101!
baba booey. Howard Stern Rules. Trust me Howard Stern brought over a lot of listeners. It’s not his contract that got them into this mess. It’s the credit market – I hope they find a better way to deal with their debt then canceling on air talent. That’s never a good sign!
baba booey. Howard Stern Rules. Trust me Howard Stern brought over a lot of listeners. It’s not his contract that got them into this mess. It’s the credit market – I hope they find a better way to deal with their debt then canceling on air talent. That’s never a good sign!
That’s too bad! 80s, 90s, Backspin are just awesome. Classic Vinyl too…*sigh*
Who cares about all the ancillary crap like Howard Stern. Most (not all, most) people want the good music stations and a handful of ‘normal’ radio slots like ESPN, CNN, etc.
Hopefully this isn’t the end of satellite radio… just the end of a talentless old dj
OPIE & ANTHONY RULES!!!
If Howard leaves, SiriusXM will fail.
Welcome to commercials on satellite radio…